Sen. Chris Murphy on Trump’s Pay-to-Play Corruption and Unrigging Democracy

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) argues that the Trump administration is operating a nakedly transactional system of corruption designed to shatter public faith in democratic institutions and transition the United States toward a kleptocratic oligarchy. According to Murphy, this current era of governance differs from previous administrations by conducting corruption openly and publicly rather than through traditional backroom deals.

Murphy has made anti-corruption a central pillar of his policy proposals and messaging since the 2024 election. This focus was highlighted during a forum in Washington, D.C., hosted by the American Economic Liberties Project, a think tank dedicated to corporate accountability, breaking up monopolies, and addressing corporate consolidation.

The Corporate Pardons Report

On September 15, 2025, Senator Murphy released a report titled Corporate Pardons: The Trump Plan to Let Corporations Get Away With Crimes is Ripping Off Americans. The report documents more than 160 companies that have had federal enforcement actions dropped by the administration.

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The report identifies a pay-to-play scheme where corporations supporting the president are permitted to break the law. Murphy notes that the administration has used executive enforcement power across several federal agencies to facilitate these corporate pardons, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

According to the report, these actions include dropping pending cases, approving unlawful mergers, and rescinding final orders that would have required corporations to pay restitution to victims. Murphy highlights that the president made history as the first president to pardon a corporation when he freed the crypto exchange BitMex from a $100 million fine and criminal accountability.

A Transactional Model of Influence

Murphy contends that the current administration has replaced the slow process of traditional lobbying and relationship building with immediate, high-cost transactions. He describes the process as literally just a million dollars for a corporate pardon, noting that these arrangements often occur within weeks or months.

The senator cited several examples of this transactional relationship, including donations made by Boeing, Toyota, and Zelle to the administration. He further alleged that enforcement actions are dropped following specific arrangements, such as appointing Eric Trump to a corporate board.

This pattern extends to corporate consolidation, which Murphy views as inextricably linked to government corruption. He pointed to the deal between the Ellison family and the Trump family regarding Paramount Skydance as an example. Murphy referenced a statement from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said on stage, I can’t wait until my friends, the Ellisons, get control of CNN because then you’ll stop telling the truth about the war.

Impact on Democracy and the Economy

Murphy warns that the brazen nature of this corruption is intended to make citizens feel that their voices no longer matter. He argues that when the public retreats from civic action due to a belief that the system is fundamentally broken, it creates a vacuum that allows oligarchs to seize and maintain power.

The senator believes there is a reciprocal relationship between economic and political corruption. He asserts that an economy focused solely on profit and efficiency, which ignores shared prosperity, normalizes a lack of virtue that then carries over into politics.

The corruption of our economy is downstream of the corruption of our democracy. But also, the right way to end the corruption of our democracy is also downstream of the corruption of our economy.

Sen. Chris Murphy

Political Strategy for 2028

Having previously spoken on the Senate floor on March 6, 2025, to expose corruption during the administration’s first six weeks, Murphy is now calling for a strategic shift within the Democratic Party. He argues that for the party to be successful in the 2028 election, it must make the un-rigging of both democracy and the economy a central theme of its messaging.

Murphy suggests that the party must address the feeling of powerlessness among Americans by proposing bold actions to return control to individuals. He maintains that resisting the normalization of this corruption is critical to preventing a permanent loss of faith in the democratic enterprise.